Prisma Health Children's Hospital–Midlands

Reach Out and Read

A children’s book is a powerful tool for parents and physicians

Through Reach Out and Read, trained physicians prescribe reading aloud every day and model reading strategies with patients while educating their parents about the importance of reading aloud and engaging with their young children daily. Providers also encourage parents to cuddle up and read together at home and build routines around books. These loving, close interactions around books built strong relationships and resilience in children and families alike. Each child is given a new, developmentally- and, culturally-appropriate book to take home from each check-up, building a home library with at least 10 new books before that child enters kindergarten.

About Reach Out and Read Carolinas

Reach Out and Read Carolinas is an evidence-based intervention for children, birth to 5-years-old, that makes early literacy a standard part of primary care, with a special emphasis on children who grow up in low-income communities.

We build on the unique relationship between families and medical providers to develop critical early language and reading skills in children. At wellness checks for children, doctors talk with families about reading together, educate parents about the importance of shared language and books in daily routines, and send them home with an age-appropriate book.